Life With Alopecia

Hi there my beautiful lovelies! Hope you guys are doing well and staying safe! Today I want to update you about my continued every day with Androgenic Alopecia.

Androgenic Alopecia

What is Androgenic Alopecia? According to National Institute of Health, “Androgenetic alopecia is a common form of hair loss in both men and women. In men, this condition is also known as male-pattern baldness. Hair is lost in a well-defined pattern, beginning above both temples. Over time, the hairline recedes to form a characteristic “M” shape. Hair also thins at the crown (near the top of the head), often progressing to partial or complete baldness.”

In women, the hair becomes thinner all over the head, and the hairline does not recede. Androgenetic alopecia in women rarely leads to total baldness.

My Journey with Androgenic Alopecia or AGA:

I got diagnosed with Androgenic Alopecia five years ago. It came as a surprise to me. I loved my hair and then one day lumps of hair started falling out. I can’t describe it. It scared me and my family. I went to the dermatologist with a sense of panic.

She did a biopsy to confirm and told me that it’s more common in women than I thought. According to NIH, this form of hair loss affects an estimated 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States. Androgenetic alopecia can start as early as a person’s teens and risk increases with age; more than 50 percent of men over age 50 have some degree of hair loss. In women, hair loss is most likely after menopause.

I was particularly vulnerable because I have Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. PCOS is a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges.The cause of polycystic ovary syndrome isn’t well understood, but may involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

I had large bald spots. My journey with AGA involved steroid shot on the largest bald spots, prescription Spironolactone, a diuretic originally used to treat high blood pressure. It can also treat fluid retention (edema) and high levels of the hormone aldosterone. I was only told to use minoxidil, only treatment shown in randomized control trial to treat hair loss effectively. How if stop using minoxidil, your hair loss will return.

Hair Oil

I couldn’t commit to use minoxidil. What I did is do my own evidence based scientific literature search and then decided to try hair oil, made with organic coconut oil, almond oil, avocado oil, castor oil, peppermint oil, and onion juice. I used it half hour to hour before shampooing.

Meditation

One thing I knew that I had to control my stress. There was no point stressing about hair loss if that meant more hair loss. I started meditating on a regular basis while continuing other hair loss treatment. Stress reduction not only helped me fight AGA but other conditions as well.

Led Light Therapy

Finally, I  also used led light helmet. Device-based treatments cleared by FDA to treat hair loss include low-level laser therapy (LLLT)  dual wavelength red LED light therapy. According to Dr. Mark Nestor, “Hair growth in patients who have AGA has been successfully achieved through a range of in-office energy-based devices including fractional lasers and at-home low-level laser therapy (LLLT) devices. In the last two years alone, the number of approved items on the FDA’s 510(k) premarket notification list classified as laser, comb, cap, or hair product intended for growth of scalp hair has nearly doubled to a total of 50.”

Since I was desperate and decided to buy irestore. Irestore is a FDA cleared red light therapy, 25 minutes every other day.

Red light therapy (RLT) is a treatment that helps your skin and muscle tissue heal by subjecting you to low levels of red light. It works by exposing your skin to a device with a red light resulting in your mitochondria penetrating your skin to create more energy.

The part of your cells that generate power (mitochondria) soak up the red light, which can lead to healthier cells and the restoration of skin and muscle tissue. The light creates heat below the skin’s surface, increasing the cells’ activity and leading to faster growth.

Now I have grown back more than half of the hair lost. I hope that my hair loss journey helps you get some clarity and more choices in hand.

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